


Tales of the Thieves in Tokyo

by Assassino



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Civilization V, Colors Flying High, Comfort, Dancing, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-07-30 03:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20090599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assassino/pseuds/Assassino
Summary: The Phantom Thieves were a phenomenon that swept the nation, but they’re still students at the end of the day. And they have regular lives. An assortment of fluff stories that I’ve had come to my mind or inspired by others, taking place during and after the events of Persona 5. Some chapters may be Ren x Makoto heavy, as a fair warning.





	1. Joker in Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After stealing Okumura's treasure, Ren still feels worried about the future of the Phantom Thieves. Luckily for him, he does have something that can take his mind off of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read quite a few of amazing fluff stories and decided to take a crack at it. Hope my writing is adequate! I welcome any criticism too!
> 
> I got this idea from seeing so many Dancing Star Night videos in my recommended. I loved the Rivers in the Desert one by the way.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. The sound of a pencil hitting the table edge with rhythm. The pages of a book being turned to the next chapter. Lead making contact with notebook paper. The attic was silent and only filled with the small sounds of schoolwork. Ren tried his best to keep himself grounded by focusing on the sounds. Although he should really be focusing on his work, Ren’s mind was kept clouded by thoughts of recent events. The face of Kunikazu Okumura stayed ingrained into his mind. It was horrific. Immediately as he realized what had been transpiring on that day, he turned off his phone. The faces of his teammates, especially Haru, confirmed what he assumed was true.

His death was painful and the farthest from pleasant. Okumura had done some terrible things but he didn’t deserve to die like that. Ren knew that no one deserved to die like that. 

Ren’s leg kept bouncing in place, as if it were a piston being worked to the limit in a car engine. He focused on his notebook of calculus questions. Indefinite integrals, natural logarithm, derivatives, volume. He tried to latch onto one of the questions in the textbook but he couldn’t. His mind still wandered to Okumura. Anxious and paranoid about what he might have done wrong. What would happen to the Phantom Thieves. What would happen to him. What would happen to Makoto-

“Excuse me, I have to use the restroom,” almost like at the mention of her name, Makoto stood up from the couch after putting her notebook and pencil down.

“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll try to figure out this integral while you’re gone.”

Makoto smiled at Ren. The thoughts of Okumura and the mental shutdown seemed to disappear momentarily. Just the sight of her happiness was infectious. It was warm and welcoming. Ren never got tired of that feeling and never wanted to. He smiled back at his girlfriend. The two had started dating a little after Makoto had joined the Phantom Thieves and after thwarting the plans of a malicious host. Ever since then, she had been someone that Ren could always find comfort in and depend on. A valuable asset to the team as co-leader and the best girlfriend he could ask for.

Makoto turned around and walked down the stairs on the other end of the room. Whenever Ren focused on her, his mind would be at ease. Yet those thoughts slowly crept their way back in Ren’s head. His heart started to pound, worries rushed through his mind, and the uncertainty of everything he had worked for up until now was suffocating him. He didn’t want to lose the Phantom Thieves. He didn’t want to lose his friends. He didn’t want to lose his freedom. He didn’t want to lose Makoto.

Immediately, Ren stood up from his seat. Notebook tossed to the wooden planks of the floor and the chair he was sitting on pushed behind him. Breathing heavily and laboriously, his hands gripped onto the edge of the table. He did his best to keep himself together but he was losing the battle.

Then a thought crossed him. There was one thing that always calmed him down. One thing he hadn’t really done since he had come to Tokyo. He hadn’t even told any of his new friends or Makoto about this. He checked by the stairs, no indications that Makoto was coming up. Morgana had decided to leave them alone while they studied. Sojiro had also left the cafe to him since it was a little later than usual and business had slowed to a complete stop. He was alone right now.

Ren went back to the table and picked up his phone. Looking for the exact app for this, he found the specific song he was looking for. He moved his chair out of the way to make sure the attic was as open as it could be. The song was a new one he had recently found out about. Ren reached into his bag and pulled out a set of headphones, turning them on. After taking a deep breath, his finger pressed the play button.

The beat of the music began and his head bobbed to left and right to following, halting at the song’s abrupt stop. The song continued, the drums syncing with the electronic melody. Ren raised his hand and moved it to the same beat. The music began to pick up and Ren followed it, as if he could feel the soft cascade of sounds in the air. His hips and arms began to move, Ren then noticing a powerful violin playing within the symphony of instruments. His arms moved outward from himself while his lower body flowed to the movement of the violin’s notes. Ren knew the words to the song but he was not a singer by any means, in his opinion. As an alternative, he lip synced.

_ Your plot, your alibi! _

_ Can you hide behind, _

_ Claiming that it’s right! _

Ren imagined the vocals passing through his own mouth. Almost every part of his body ebbed and flowed to pitch and beat. His movements matched the slowing of the tempo. There was no technique he prepared. No routine that he followed. But still, everything felt natural to him.

_ Raise your fist to the sky. _

_ We’re below your foot! _

_ Coming in, _

_ Fly, colors fly! _

The tempo picked up dramatically and Ren was more than happy to match it. An outward spin into the air. Dancing that became more active, more vibrant. Ren moved his left arm outward and his right leg bent behind his other leg. A swift kick and a brief sidestep.

_ Tell us who to love and who to hate, _

_ And by the by! _

_ With the memories of a morose thief! _

A graceful twirl. Arm stretched to the ceiling. Hands on his hips. A powerful strut forward, massive steps. Ren had forgotten how this felt. He immersed himself in the song, into the dance. Ren lost himself in the music and it felt refreshing. He hadn’t danced since before everything happened. It was one of his most reliable stress relievers. He felt graceful, even if it was uncoordinated. Powerful, even if it was just himself. Free.

_ Staying true, _

_ To your own convictions, _

_ See this, it is harder to, _

_ To escape... _

The song’s speed began to slow. Ren waited, taking a moment to focus. His arms down and his feet firmly planted on the floor. He focused on the drums, beating to a rhythm that echoed anticipation. 

_ So choose a color you'll live by! _

And just as the music sprung back to life, so did Ren.

_ You contemplate your virtue! _

_ Give it all, _

_ Be the best, 'cause I've been less with you! _

A small hop, one arm outward and the other to the sky. The chorus had reinvigorated him. When Ren danced, the world dissipated around him. He was by himself but he felt alive. Worry-free. Happy, even just briefly. Wide stance. Left hand to his face, an upward head whip.

_ You can roam the world with colors flying high! _

_ You know that if you stay true, _

_ Green or blue, red or white, _

_ You can't lose, with your colors flying high! _

Ren let the music dictate him. He didn’t have to think, just let the sounds push him like winds to a sailboat. Knee bent up. One twirl, then another, then another, and another. Hand to the ground, leg stretched away. Then a rapid ascent.

As the velocity of notes decreased, his pace did too. He felt the anticipation again. The crescendo that was waiting to hit. And there he was, planted once again waiting for it too.

_ So choose a color you will fly! _

And there it was again. Like a sugar rush, Ren’s movements grew electric.

_ Fight all for your convictions, _

_ Give it all, _

_ Be the best, 'cause I've been left with you! _

The chorus was where Ren felt ecstatic. He felt like he could be someone else. He could compare the feeling to how he felt when he was Joker. He moved with confidence and grace. With passion. With freedom. A high kick into the air. 

_ You can roam the world with colors flying high! _

_ Your gentle indignation! _

He felt the end of the song approaching in his bones. He always enjoyed a good finale.

_ Green or blue, _

Ren started his final movement with one spin into the air, hands and arms stretched like wings.

_ Red or white, _

Immediately as his feet touched the group, he leaped again. Higher than the last.

_ You can't lose, with your colors flying high! _

The last leap made Ren soar, almost having him crash into the stair railing. But he didn’t care. He landed, now resting on one knee. Head down. Panting. Not because he was exhausted. But because it was exhilarating. He didn’t even notice himself smiling. Ren wondered why he stopped dancing. It came so naturally to him. Just like how he fought as Joker.

Ren lifted his head, planning to head back to his work after clearing his mind. That was until he locked eyes with Makoto, who was peaking above the stairs. She started to walk up the stairs, very noticeably smiling and holding back some laughter. There were not many times that Makoto would find Ren flustered, but it looked like it was his turn for his face to resemble a tomato.

Ren darted up from where he was, “Makoto!” His eyes widened and cheeks flushed with red clearly showing his embarrassment, “I was just about to figure out that integral and then I got distracted-”

“Ren.”

“And did song started playing on the radio app and I didn’t know what came over me-”

“Ren.”

“And then I kind of just started doing that and-”

“Ren!”

The shout anchored Ren back from his tangent. His eyes rested back on Makoto. She was smiling at him. That warm, adorable smile that he couldn’t get enough of. That soft smile that covered him like a warm blanket on a cold, rainy day. “Ren, that was wonderful.”

“You really think so?” 

Makoto walked up to her boyfriend, sheltering his hands in the grip of hers. “Absolutely, you never told me you could dance.”

Ren’s face reddened further, “It was a hobby back before I came here. I haven’t really had the chance to dance lately.”

Makoto led Ren over and the two walked back to the table, both taking a seat on the couch. “I don’t mean for this to come off rude at all, but why were you dancing? Don’t get me wrong, your dance moves were wonderful.”

Ren had just forgotten about why he did start dancing. “Oh yeah, that.”

Makoto worried about the grimace expression that Ren had but waited for him to speak first. Ren sighed for a moment, “Dancing is kind of like a stress reliever for me. I get in this zone where I can just forget about life for a little bit and just move with the music. And I guess what’s been stressing me was…”

She knew exactly what Ren was thinking about and tightened the grip on his hand, “Ren, it’s okay. I know. It has all of us worried and stressed.”

Ren smiled but Makoto could still see the anxiety and worry in his eyes, “I guess it kind of got to me. Part of me know that we aren’t responsible for this, but I just can’t help but worry. I don’t want to lose this. The Phantom Thieves.” It was his turn to squeeze her hand, “I don’t want to lose you.”

Makoto smiled and felt her eyes water slightly, “Ren, you’re not going to lose me. And I don’t plan on losing you. While the events of the past few days have us rattled, we still have our friends. And you still have me.”

Ren still felt worried about the future but Makoto’s smile managed to comfort him once again. That smile and her had the same effect on him as dancing. He could forget the world and just stay here with her. It didn’t matter what they did or planned, home was with her. 

Ren leaned in and kissed her forehead, Makoto responding with a hint of red in her cheeks and an adorable giggle. “Thank you.”

For a moment, Ren wondered and imagined what it would be like to see Makoto dancing. And at that point, he had an idea. “Now that that’s out of the way, would you like to dance with me?”

The hint of red in Makoto’s cheeks was no longer just a hint, “I’m a terrible dancer. The last time I danced was with my father years ago and I could hardly compare that to what you can do.”

A goofy smile grew on Ren’s face, thinking about a tiny Makoto dancing. “Well, I could always teach you a few things I know. And besides, you just need to go with music.”

Makoto held her chin and thought for a moment, “Fine, I will agree to dance with you. But only after exams. No dancing if you let your exam scores slip.”

Ren pouted but Makoto was not easily swayed when it came to academics, “Your pout will not work this time. I stand firm on my stance.”

Makoto crossed her arms. After a few very pouty seconds, eventually Ren surrendered. “Okay fine. After exams.”

“After exams.” Makoto reaffirmed, “Now, you promised me a solved integral?”

Ren laughed, “I will get right on that, my Queen.”


	2. The Hermit's Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto decides that she hasn't spent enough time with Futaba and goes to fix that.

The clacks of thousands of steps being taken on the concrete streets of Shibuya. The loud honks of cars passing through the packed streets. Buildings that soared into the sky. The collective noise of the public was aspect that Makoto had focused on during her walk to the backstreets by where Ren lived for now. It was almost a week since he had been released and they had their first Valentine’s Day together. She felt the butterflies in her stomach stir momentarily, looking back on the very pleasant memory. It seemed so fitting to have the date after being apart for so long.

The imprisonment was now in the past. The world ending threat on Christmas was now in the past. The Metaverse was now in the past. And Makoto smiled. She couldn’t wait for the future.

Eventually making her way to the backstreets, Makoto walked past Leblanc. She wasn’t visiting Ren this time. The couple spent practically everyday after his release together and she would be more than happy to see her boyfriend again today, but the others had worked hard to prove Ren’s innocence too. It would be selfish for Makoto to deprive the rest of her friends from Ren, regardless of part of her having no problem at all being selfish. 

But this time, the soon to be college student was going to be visiting Futaba Sakura. Makoto had texted her last night, asking if she was available. Futaba immediately replied, saying that she would be home all day as usual. Makoto never felt comfortable with the fact that the first time she had been with Futaba didn’t go so well. And the second time was just a simple outing to Shujin with Ren. She felt bad for not being able to connect well enough with the young girl. Sure, they interacted during missions in Mementos and the hacker was more than reliable. But Makoto wanted Futaba as a true friend and have her be able to confide in her if need be. While she was strange and spoke about things she had no idea of, Futaba seemed nice and sweet. Makoto promised herself that this time would be different.

Pulling her phone out from her bag, she sent a text to Futaba to let her know that she was outside. Almost immediately, she received a reply.

**Futaba:** In game. Left door open.

Makoto pushed the gate open and entered through the front door. The unlocked entrances reminded her of the first time she came to Sojiro’s house with the rest of the Phantom Thieves. She was also reminded of how she got scared of the thunder and clung to Ren for dear life. While she did find comfort in Ren, Makoto cringed as it was not one of her finest moments.

Walking down the short hallway, Makoto stopped in front of Futaba’s bedroom door. It was the same as it was the last time she was here, less than a year ago. The caution tape and the DO NOT ENTER sign. Opening the door, she entered the small bedroom. Even after the room being in a much better condition since when they gave Futaba the calling card, Makoto would still describe this room as cluttered and messy. Several posters were plastered on the walls, cables were tossed all around the floor by her computer, empty bags of snacks were left abandoned on top of the cabinet by her desk. The corner of the room where Futaba currently resided was largest. The steel shelves were packed with items in no particular order, from action figures to books to computer parts to plushes. The three monitors of her computer were usually displaying a lot of computer technical information that Makoto had only a basic grasp of, but this time two of them was turned off and the remaining monitor showed a game of some kind. 

“Hi Futaba.”

Eyes still glued to the monitor, “Hey Queen.” Makoto noticed she was clicking a lot, moving the mouse rapidly in different directions. The game was at an odd angle, showing a top down view of the characters. The screen was centered around a robot man, who Makoto assumed was the character that Futaba was playing as.

“What are you playing?”

“League of Legends, should be done in 10 minutes.”

Makoto was surprised that she got a couple of responses from her at all. Most of the time, Futaba would be unresponsive when she worked on anything on her computer. She sat down by Futaba’s bed while the girl immersed herself into the game again. Just as she started to get comfortable, Makoto felt her phone buzz in her bag. Ren sent her a picture of him with Ryuji and Ann. 

**Makoto:** You seem to be having fun.

**Ren:** Yeah, I got you a present too. How’s Futaba?

**Makoto: ** Unresponsive at the moment.

**Ren: ** Knowing her, she’s either hacking into government servers or playing League of Legends.

**Makoto:** The latter actually.

**Ren:** Well, she’ll open up. Probably. I gotta go though. I love you!

Makoto smiled and shook her head.

**Makoto:** Thank you for the vote of confidence. Have fun and I love you too.

Back to reality, Futaba let out a frustrated grunt. 

“There’s no way that hit me! I hit flash!” She immediately collapsed into her chair and something on the screen seemed to explode, with the words DEFEAT on the monitor.

“I’m sorry you lost, Futaba.”

“It’s okay, my teammates were terrible.” Shooting up, Futaba stood up and faced Makoto. “So, now that I’ve finished watching my nexus blow up, what’s up?”

“Oh! Nothing in particular, I just wanted to spend some time with you. We haven’t had the chance the hangout so I thought that it would be best to.”

“Alright! I am prepared for the hangout!” Futaba sat herself back in her chair and looked at Makoto, as if she was waiting for her to do something. The two sat in uncomfortable awkwardness.  _ This was going as well as last time _ , Makoto thought to herself.

With that thought, Makoto remembered something. Last time didn’t go so well for her, but it did for Yusuke. The artist was eventually able to connect with Futaba by talking about her action figures. Makoto should do the same.

“So, what was that game you were playing?”

Futaba responded, almost like she was snapped out of a trance, “League of Legends. It’s a MOBA I play sometimes. And I’m quite good at it, not to brag. At least I am when I get teammates with actual brains.”

“Is it like a strategy game of some kind?”

“Nope! I have some strategy games if you wanna see those!” Futaba spun herself around to face her monitor. Makoto sat up to see what she was tapping away at. She clicked an application on her desktop, which seemed to resemble the state of her room, and a long list of games appeared. 

“I have Hearts of Iron, XCOM, Stellaris, Cities: Skylines, Simcity-”

Futaba continued to list off various titles and kept switching between the games on the screen, eventually ending up on one that caught Makoto’s eye.

“What is that one?”

Futaba stopped clicking, “This one? Civilization 5. I have a lot of hours on this one. It’s a strategy game where you play as different civilizations from history. Like as Oda Nobunaga for Japan, George Washington for the States, Napoleon Bonaparte for France, etcetera. We can play it if you want.”

Makoto had never played a strategy game before, mostly only playing a couple of action games before she attended Shujin. But her interest was piqued.

“If you are willing, I would like to play.”

“Sweet! Grab my laptop over there and you can play on it! I promise to go easy on you.” 

\-------------------------------------------

Futaba once again collapsed into her chair as she started at the screen. The game had ended after hours of her building up England to be a superpower in science. But just as she was about to launch her rocket into space, a world leader had been elected and Makoto had won the game via diplomatic victory. “How did you do that?”

“I noticed that you spent so much time neglecting the other AI civilizations, so I befriended them and the smaller cities too. Then the United Nations was formed and I found out you could win by voting.” Makoto shrug and raised her arms, very pleased that she managed to win her first game. “And the rest is history.”

“Ugh! I demand a rematch!”

Makoto chuckled, “Well, it is a little late for another game. How about we play tomorrow? I can download the game onto my laptop. I can probably get Haru or Ren to play with us too.”

“That’s okay with me! I doubt they’ll have the same beginners luck as you.”

\-------------------------------------------

Makoto sat on her bed and looked at her laptop in disbelief. She had never seen such a large army of troops amass so quickly and so early into the game. Granted this was just her second game, but it was still very impressive. Her cities were razed immediately as they were taken and her capital had fallen shortly after. Ren had done better than her to fend off the Russian army but his German civilization fell just as the others had. 

Makoto noticed that the others were sending messages in the ingame chat.

**AtticRen (Germany):** I didn’t stand a chance. Good job.

**Alibaba (England): ** I can’t believe you took me out first! I didn’t even get to the Medieval Age yet!

**QueenJohanna (Korea): ** I must say Haru, that was quite impressive. You had me pinned the entire time.

**MiladyCoffeeBean (Russia): ** That war was quite fun! I’m sorry Mako-chan for defeating you so decisively.

**QueenJohanna (Korea):** Don’t apologize Haru. It was well played.

Makoto’s capital may have been burning and Haru may have just won the game through domination, but she was having fun. And it seemed like she was finally able to bond with Futaba. She could confidently see this as a success. 

She made a note to herself for the next time Makoto plays with Haru to amass an army in response ahead of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea after thinking about what games Futaba played on her downtime. Again, let me know what you guys think and any criticisms are welcome! I hope you enjoyed the story.


End file.
